The present invention relates to an improvement in beehive structures and particularly an improved outer top cover.
It is known in the art of beekeeping that many problems are encountered throughout the year and that some of these problems relate directly to temperatures within the hive. Accordingly, one critical factor is the amount of air which circulates in the hive since this is the only thing controlling moisture content within the hive.
Traditionally, the bees will create air circulation themselves through a process called fanning. Likewise, past attempts have been made at designing beehive structures that would help regulate ventilation of a hive during summer months in order to keep the hive relatively cool and at the same time to prevent undesirable condensation and collection of moisture within the hive during winter months. Examples of such prior known structures are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. Diehnelt, 2,498,880, Hageman 2,522,511, and Wahl 2,709,820. In each of these patents circulation of air within the hive is desired in order to provide sufficient ventilation for the hive to keep down undesirable collections of moisture therein but is not so great as would materially reduce the temperature within the hive. Thus, while these prior art devices want some degree of ventilation they do not want a lot.
One of the principal objects of the present invention, unlike these prior art devices, is to substantially increase air circulation within the beehive by the use of solar energy. Another primary object of the present invention is to substantially increase the quantity of honey that is producible per hive by hastening the process through which nectar, collected by the bees, is changed from a solution containing about 50% sugar to its concentrated condition where it constitutes substantially 85% sugar.
In order for a significant amount of evaporation to occur within the hive to cause a faster change in concentrations, there must be sufficient air circulation around the open honeycombs in which the nectar is initially placed by the bees. In most hives even those that have covers which allow for a certain amount of air circulation, circulation within the hive is created by thousands of bees positioned throughout the hive which fan their wings and thus produce circulation within and around the honeycomb structure. The fanning process is a 24 hour process during the primary honey period and quite naturally consumes a considerable amount of energy of the hive. It has been found that during this primary honey-flowing period, in certain high humidity climates, two of every three pounds of honey produced in the hive is consumed as a food source by the bees engaged in the fanning or evaporation process. Likewise, the bees engaged in fanning are not available to leave the hive to join in the nectar-gathering process.